STREETWAVE’S REMIX of Wish ‘Mr DJ’, due imminently, will incorporate a snippet of the actual Kool & The Gang ‘Ladies Night’ in amongst its similar bass line — which could be a first of its kind, barring bootleg mixers and full-length medleys! . . . Second Image’s limited edition twin-pack 12in sold fast last week — if any are left you’ll find the bonus free single has Pete Wingfield’s vigorously leaping 121-122-121bpm ‘Can’t Keep Holding On ’83‘ remix and the gently drifting 82-84bpm ‘Images‘ . . . Ensign’s first release via Island in a fortnight, Galaxy ‘Dancing Tight‘ has been getting much soul radio play on acetate and is now on white label: it’s a lovely creamily whomping 115½-116bpm swayer with chix-answered classy pent-up Phil Fearon vocal, or a jazzier synth, sax ‘n flute 117bpm instrumental flip . . . Chris Hill and I feel the Ingram whose ‘Smoothin’ Groovin‘ has exploded on import despite also being called James, is unlikely to be the Quincy Jones-produced James Ingram (who would surely weigh in with a vocal ballad rather than a jazz-funk instrumental) — this one must be the Ingram of ‘Mi Sebrina Tequana‘ fame, probably the keyboard/sax/flute-playing Jimmy Ingram of the mid-’70s Ingram Family whose ‘The Ingram Kingdom’ album on US Excello I chanced upon while browsing through my newly shelved record collection . . . US Atlantic are re-releasing the original Patrick Adams Phreek ‘Weekend‘, LP version and a remix, on 12in . . . Polydor look like losing the race here having picked up The System’s original ‘You Are In My System‘ — they should have gone with ‘Sweat‘ . . . Alan Omokhoje Jr’s new Move label is putting out Aural Exciters ‘Chinese Rap‘ (via Pinnacle), bone fide DJs can contact Alan at 70 Gloucester Place, London W1 (01-935 8980) . . . US 12in imports last week also included Omni ‘All For The One‘ (Fountain), Rocket ‘Here Comes My Love‘ (Canadian Quality — the slinky goodie from their album, c.103bpm I seem to remember), Jonzun Crew ‘Space Cowboy‘ (Tommy Boy — dreadful, c.101bpm), while LPs of limited interest include the very cerebral Manhattan Transfer-ish Rare Silk ‘New Weave’ (Polydor — their reading of Richie Cole’s ‘New York Afternoon‘ has specialist jazz jocks jumping), soulful stuff by Blue Magic (Mirage — they revive the Dramatics ‘In The Rain’), and a 4-track set by Blackbyrds drummer Keith Killgo (BWI — he revives Tommy James & The Shondells ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion‘) . . . Lonnie Liston Smith’s other big instrumental track is the bassily snapped then smooth 118bpm ‘Mystic Woman‘, while the O’Bryan slowie with excellent muted trumpet is the (0-)51½/103bpm ‘Soft Touch‘ . . . Patrick Simmons, whose terrific ‘So Wrong‘ mixes sensationally with Nile Rodgers ‘Get Her Crazy‘, turns out to be a Doobie Brother . . . Michael Jackson ‘Billie Jean’ is rumoured to have been remixed by US Hot Tracks but then banned by Epic, making any copies scarcer than hens teeth . . . San Francisco’s hot new gay label Arial has snapped up 250 old “disco” classics, many previously promo-only remixes, for reissue gradually over the next three years — and American DJ pool members are going to have to buy them, as that will obviously be their main market (some UK labels could learn from that) . . . Motown “plan” to release a brand new studio album by Stevie Wonder in April — they wisely don’t specify April 1983, though! . . . Johnnie Wilder stand-in Keith Harrison has reportedly left Heatwave to join the Dazz Band . . . Soul On Sound 014’s preview mix features Sunfire/Lorita Grahame/Shock ‘San Juan’/Tania Maria ‘Come With Me’/Patrick Williams ‘Too Hip For The Room’/Chill Fac-Torr/Rah Band/Wuf Ticket/Chi-Lites/Fatback ‘Is This The Future?’/Whispers ‘Keep On Lovin’ Me’/Omni ‘All For The One’/Electric Smoke/Chaka Khan ‘Best In The West’/Walter Jackson/Harry Ray/Ellie Hope/Earth Wind & Fire/Greg Kihn Band/Imagination ‘Changes’ remix/Charles Earland ‘Street Themes’/C.O.D./Nile Rodgers ‘Get Her Crazy’/Patrick Simmons/Jimmy Young/Lonnie Liston Smith ‘Rainbows Of Love’/Joe Sample ‘Wings Of Fire’ — 27 cuts in less than 21 minutes . . . Paul Lewis has re-established jazz-funk on Thurs/Saturdays at Swindon Brunel Rooms Ampitheatre (Sandy Martin does the Ballroom) . . . Tom Wilson is now full resident at Edinburgh Northumberland Hotel’s Pzazz Nitescene — with a club name like that, does the manager wear flares? . . . Mike Page reports from Telford that due to people saying they’ve nowhere to go during the week, Shifnal’s Nell Gwynn now operates on Monday too . . . Robbie Vincent jazz-souls Peckham Kisses this Saturday (26) — I bet he doesn’t play Forrest! . . . Steve Walsh seems to be cutting back on his residencies, or shall we say rescheduling his appearances? . . . Rush Release’s Nick Titchener, who plays Nightclub music with Pete Tong at Dartford Flicks on Thursdays, thoroughly recommends the Mattel Synsonics electronic “drum kit”, at just £99 or less, run on batteries or mains transformer and really impressive used with a bit of reverb, quoth he . . . Kilburn’s Cafe Lexi, just down from The National Club, is my current tip for apres-gig gorgers — nice food, reasonably priced, open until 6am seven nights a week . . . Easter deadlines mean that chart contributing DJs should get ’em in the mail RIGHT NOW, please! . . . Dave Lewis writes as manager of Bedford’s WH Smith record shop to say that thanks to these pages, his is one chain store that does stock all the hot new dance records (on UK release) and will order any DJ’s request . . . Tricky Dicky Scanes has now moved his entire stock from Disco Music in Mile End to the Record Cellar at 18 Newport Court, near Leicester Square tube station . . . I had raised eyebrows from some import buyers after last week’s mention of £6.99 as the current LP price — that’s what they are in Rayners Lane and at many other up-front stockists, so you may be shopping at the wrong place . . . Dave Phillips & The Hot Rod Gang ‘Tainted Love‘ (Rockhouse SP 8303, via Pinnacle) is a must for mobile jocks — a rockabilly backed but still Marc Almond accented 177bpm boogie! . . . Ellery Phillips (Bury St Edmunds) is desperate for the Canadian mixer (mentioned last summer by someone from the South of France) which “expertly dovetails Beatles rockers with added bass and drums” — any offers (vinyl or tape)? . . . Kevin James, currently based in Denmark at Tordenskjold Kobling, is happy to supply Continental records but warns they’re very expensive (7in £2.50, 12in up to £5) — contact him at Gronnedalen, 168 St m f, 7100 Vejle, Denmark (he also says the Danes reputedly seem to drink more than anyone else in Europe except the Germans, and they all seem to drink it at his club!) . . . Coggy (Lincoln) — no Khemistry didn’t come out here . . . Capital’s assistant librarian and Cruiser DJ ‘Disco John’ Leech, known to some as Leee(ch) John, doesn’t often get radio credits but always jocks the opening 8-9.30pm happy hour of Friday’s ‘Best Disco In Town’ at London’s Lyceum (“everybody go whoa-ho!”) . . . ooh-wee, that’s (UHH) baad, sweet peas, mmm-hmm, YES INDEEDY!

HOT VINYL

INGRAM: ‘Smoothin’ Groovin’ (US Mirage 0-99920)
Unlikely to crossover in a big way but immediately huge with “hard toon” lovers, this superb sophisticated gently flowing and pulsating 116(intro)-114-113-114-114½-114-114½-116½bpm 12in jazz-funk semi-instrumental shuffler packs a surprise punch out on the floor and sounds like a future classic, the more sombre jiggly monotonous 108½bpm ‘DJ’s Delight‘ making a good if less crucial flip. See ‘Odds ‘n’ Bods’ for an enquiry into Ingram’s identity.

LAVIAS: ‘Do You Wanna Dance’ (US Golden Pyramid GP 1208)
Lavias appears to conceal the identity of Mike T. teamed again with saxist Joe Thomas on a killer hard driving 123bpm 12in jazz-funk instrumental groove, breaking halfway for a nice mush-mouthed mellow rap which then picks up and kicks up the beat (terrific between Transit and Kabbala) — all this relating to the far hotter flip, as the nice enough vocal A-side lacks the sax.

TRANSIT: ‘Dance Groove’ (US Storm ST-519)
Out a while with (as I can testify!) proven grow-on-you appeal, this Gene Redd-produced (he’s Sharon’s brother) infectiously bounding 120-119-120-119½bpm 12in leaper starts excitingly with happy chaps and stabbing brass before exploding into a dynamite jittery but fluid bass break that then motivates most of the record.

MARVIN GAYE: ‘Joy (Parts 1 & 2)’ (CBS A13-3242)
In an extended ‘Ecstatic’ remix and sounding mighty fine, Marv’s jittery 116½bpm 12in skittering skipper has brass (real or simulated?) jerkily braying amidst the synthetic backing — which although very different in texture and feel nevertheless works well with more electrophonic stuff like C.O.D. — while, throwing away another potential hit, the flip is his lovely lush sinuous romantic 104bpm ‘Turn On Some Music‘.

VALENTINE BROTHERS: ‘Money’s Too Tight (To Mention)’ (Energy 12NGR 1, via Pinnacle)
Until recently overtaken by ‘E.T. Boogie’, the last year’s biggest unreleased import was this excellent beefy bass bumped and sax seared 108-109bpm 12in rolling thumper (similar at the time to the Band A.K.A.’s ‘Grace’), featuring great message lyrics soulfully growled and wailed by a sort of updated Sam & Dave duo (instrumental flip). Anyway, now out here at last, it should be a smash if radio play it as much as they did last summer.

ROBERT PALMER: ‘You Are In My System’ (Island 12IS 104)
On white label promo as by the RP Band but now flying its true colours, this electronically driven starkly juddering 110½bpm 12in cover of The System’s own eponymous single is already way out front in the race — where, frankly, it deserves to be. Monotonous but powerful, with a fashionable enough front man to ensure full pop media attention.

THE BEAT BOYS: ‘Be Bop Rock’ (US Sugarscoop SS-423)
Yi-ha! Just what you were waiting for — a rapping vocal version (in fact two, as the flip’s a possibly even more useable variation) of ‘Hip Hop Be Bop (Don’t Stop)’, actually over the original Man Parrish 115bpm 12in backing track!

STEVE SHELTO: ‘Don’t You Give Your Love Away’ (Epic EPC A13-3277)
I’m still surprised this Shep Pettibone-mixed spurting 117-118-117-120-119-121-124-120bpm 12in loper has been so big on import, but the chix-backed moaning chap is quite soulful (in the currently accepted fashionable style) and it has a nice enough feel even if it lacks a cutting edge (instrumental flip).

VISUAL: ‘The Music Got Me’ (Prelude TA 3237)
Now for one that’s not been as big on import as it should have been — a ‘D’ Train influenced snickety cymbal backed spacious 0-117½bpm 12in roller which is set apart by the husky lead chap and, especially, by a terrific tension filled vocal group break with freaky stereo panning (instrumental flip).

CHANGE: ‘This Is Your Time’ LP (US Atlantic/RFC 80053-1)
OK, I succumbed (mainly because it wasn’t a very expensive week!) although I still think the set is fairly routine — best being the ‘Good Times’-influenced starkly thudding 0-115-116bpm title track, synth squidged jolting 0-116½bpm ‘Tell Me Why‘, ‘Searching’-styled 0-121½bpm ‘Magical Night‘, and (a poor fourth) ponderous slow thumping 0-102bpm ‘Got To Get Up‘, James ‘Crab’ Robinson doing a fair line in Luther Vandross impersonation.

LOOSE ENDS: ‘Don’t Hold Back Your Love’ (Virgin VS 588-12)
Pleasant relaxed 113bpm 12in swayer with tugging bass jitter, reminiscent of their debut single in its sophisticated jazz-soul mood — but as mood is really all it’s got it may not be enough to sneak up on other than just sophisticated jazz-soul freaks — the 2-track flip pairing an instrumental version with the dead slow classy ‘No Stranger To Darkness‘.

NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN: ‘Reach Out’ (US Atlantic 0-89857)
Heavily disguised with a thundering Toney Lee-like “reach” intro, this 114bpm 12in judderer suddenly reveals itself as a slightly clumsy rehash of the Four Tops ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’, much more danceable than the awful disjointed ‘Shake It Off‘ official A-side.

I LEVEL: ‘Minefield’ (Virgin VS 563-12)
A floor-clearing disaster area let alone minefield, this potentially good complicatedly introed 116-117bpm clippety clop rumbler has their ‘Give Me’-style vocal sound over stop-start monotonous percussion and brassy bits, all cleverly produced but less than compulsive for dancers in its present form, on 3-track 12in with a (c.114½bpm I seem to remember) US remix of ‘Give Me’ — not the superior Dub Version — and dull new ‘Number 4‘.

SMOKEY ROBINSON: ‘I’ve Made Love To You A Thousand Times’ (Motown TMGT 1295)
Wispy 36½/73bpm 12in smoocher flipped by the far more interesting ‘Greatest Hits Medley‘ of Smokey singing his own and those he wrote for others, with “live” audience and mechanical beat backing, which although most sound like the original recordings have somehow all been kept to a steady 125bpm by producer George Tobin.

LAKESIDE: ‘Raid’ (Solar E 9836T)
Murkily monotonous 108-109bpm heavy funk thudder about raiding the dancefloor, on 3-track 12in with a couple of undistinguished oldies but sadly not their great ‘From 9.00 Until‘, which by chance I’ve been reviving recently.

WILLIE HUTCH: ‘Party Down’ (Motown TMGT 1293)
1975-recorded (and it sounds it) dated difficult but in its time good 105bpm jittery jolter on 3-track 12in with similarly vintage ‘Slick‘ and ‘Get Ready For The Get Down‘.

DENIECE WILLIAMS: ‘It’s Gonna Take A Miracle’ (CBS A2336)
Re-release, to coincide with her visit, of last year’s US hit 63-65-66-65bpm 7in revival of the Royalettes gorgeous Bacharach-influenced 1965 smoocher.